GOD HAS THE POSITIVE ANSWERS
"For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was not 'yes' and 'no', but in Him it has always been 'yes'!"
-2 Cor 1:19-
You say:'It's impossible'
God says:All things are possible (Luke 18:27)
You say:'I'm too tired'
God says:I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)
You say:'Nobody really loves me'
God says:I love you (John 3:16 & John 3:34 )
You say:'I can't go on'
God says:My grace is sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)
You say:'I can't figure things out'
God says:I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6)
You say:'I can't do it'
God says:You can do all things (Philippians 4:13)
You say:'I'm not able'
God says:I am able (II Corinthians 9:8)
You say: 'It's not worth it'
God says:It will be worth it (Roman 8:28 )
You say:'I can't forgive myself'
God says:I Forgive you (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
You say:'I can't manage'
God says:I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)
You say:'I'm afraid'
God says:I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7)
You say:'I'm always worried and frustrated'
God says:Cast all your anxiety on ME (I Peter 5:7)
You say:'I'm not smart enough'
God says:I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30 and James 1:5)
You say:'I feel all alone'
God says:I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)
Hi... It's been a loooooooooooong time not writing in this blog. Hope everyone is coping well with life. It is great Sera, to see your writing again. Hope that this coming school holiday we'll see more people sharing and flood this blog with many good news.
Love you all,
Poernomo
Saturday, 3 May 2008
GOD HAS THE POSITIVE ANSWERS
Wednesday, 30 April 2008
Sera speaks: An Empowered Ministry.
Sera is a theatre production student from LaSalle, she never fails to inspire others around her with her deep convictions and carefree expression of God's love. She's blessed with a beautiful singing voice too! Introduction to Acts 1-4 : This is where Jesus was taken up and the spirits came down to guide the disciples. Acts 1:3-8 ~Sometimes we want to know when, what things would happen and be in control of it. But in verse 7, 'He said to them, It is not for you too know the times and dates the father has set by his own authority.' It's surrendering and letting the power of the holy spirit, which is in us, to guide us. Praying for strength and faith always help when you've surrendered to God. Acts 2:22-24, 3:12-16, 4:8-12. ~Peter, Paul and Philip were persecuted to the point of physical abuse and eventually death. But with their last breath, they were still preaching and were string in their faith. It's about knowing the amazing power that is in us and knowing how God can work through us. It's definately encouraging to know that God lives in us. =) Acts 3:2-6 Acts 4:17-22 ~Even afer the elders said never to preach in Jesus' name ever again, they still did it. Persevering on. Knowing that it was true and it was commanded by Jesus. It was the right thing to do so the nations would hear about Jesus' death and resurrection. About how he was perfect, sent from God. Saving us. =) ~They continued to preach even though there were verbal physical persecutions because it was a command and it was engraved into their hearts. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I feel like, as a small group or a ministry, we can follow these 4 Ps, hahaha, not marketing principles but spiritual ones. Engraving it deeply into our hearts and always know and believe that God is in us, guiding us and whatever happens, it's God's will. =) Love you all loads loads!!!! Sera
A small group of Patience.
~A lot of times we have questions for God that we want answered immediately. But a lot of times, he asks us to wait and be patient. In this case, the apostles couldn't leave Jerusalem until they have recieved the holy spirit to guide them.
A small group of Preaching.
~By chapter 2, Jesus had already been taken up to heaven and the holy spirit descends to the people. Here, Peter addresses the crowd, the elders and Priests, preaching about Jesus' death and resurrection. And he speaks to a crowd fill with Jews and Jewish officials.
=> Would you be willing to preach what you know and believe? Knowing that we are all filled with the holy spirit, nothing is impossible if we believe it ourselves and have faith in God that we can pull through.
A small group of Power.
~Focus on verse 6, 'Then Peter said, Silver or Gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.'
I think this is totally inpiring. He doesn't have silver or gold, nothing material to give the man. All he had and relied on was the power that was given to him. And it takes faith and total surrender to accept that God is working in you. That's what Peter was doing, he knew God was there and the power given to him was real.
=> Are we understanding that the holy spirit that is in us now, is so powerful. We need to turn to it and use it. =) Use the power given to us to do God's will. =)
When I read this I was humbled. =)
A small group of Perseverance.
~This was when Peter and John were brought to the temple to be questioned of their doings.
They preached the same thing over and over as was commanded by Jesus and because they believed it themselves.
=> Are we still hanging on to the commands the bible has taught us or are we being complacent?
Monday, 31 March 2008
Stefanie speaks: "Five Loaves & 2 Fishes."
Just want to share a little thoughts as we pray and evangelize and follow up for the DJ service.
John 6:5-13
5When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages[a] would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
8Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 9"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"
10Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. 11Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." 13So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
I feel that we can relate to Philip and the other disciples, we would wonder how it could happen, it was just not logical. When we had 11 people having lunch today, we bought 11 packages of food. But bear in mind, Jesus "already had in mind what he was going to do."
Let's have the boy's heart, to give whatever we have coz it's never too small in God's eyes. Let's pray n give the best :)
Have a great week...
Love..
Stefanie C.
Let's love the Lost
Hi there Brothers, sisters and friends who come by our blog,
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
Douglas Jacoby is coming to NUS!
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Saturday, 15 March 2008
GOD said NO!!!
God Said NO!
>I asked God to take away my habit.
>>God said, No. It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.
>I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
>>God said, No. His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.
>I asked God to grant me patience.
>>God said, No.Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is learned.
>I asked God to give me happiness.
>>God said, No. I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.
>I asked God to spare me pain.
>>God said, No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.
>I asked God to make my spirit grow.
>>God said, No. You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
>I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
>>God said, No. I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.
>I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
>>God said...Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.
-POERNOMO-
Monday, 25 February 2008
Sera speaks: "1% Inspiration, 99% Perspiration."
Sera is a theatre production student from LaSalle, she never fails to inspire others around her with her deep convictions and carefree expression of God's love. She's blessed with a beautiful singing voice too!
Hello Hello lovelies!!!
For the most of us, our term break has started! Yay!! Means more time for each other right? =) School for me is the same as usual, if you've already been listening to my stories from year 1 haha. But it's gotten so much easier to go through even though the modules are getting tougher. With God everything is possible, even me doing well in school. haha Yay!
Lemme go on to my sharing. Was in my rehearsal on day and my director, who is actually a really good and wise person but sometimes abit shout-y shout-y la, he told this to the actors. "It's 1% Inspiration and 99% Perspiration. You can't live with inspiration alone, u don't get anywhere else but under a tree." Haha!! What he meant was, if you're just gonna have vision and day dream under a tree all day, nothing gets done. And what he also meant was, to get what you want, or to pursue God's visions, it's mostly hard work and sometimes suffering a little for it.
In my case, I get an inspiration to lose weight, so I buy a dress 2 sizes smaller than what I would normally wear. The weight doesn't go away just by me staring at the dress and every few hours try it on to see if it fits. It takes a long time, and with exercise and a whole lot of discipline. =)
Lemme share a verse that taught me what it is to be a true disciple. =)
1 Corinthians 4:12
"We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world -- right up to this moment."
Not so easy huh? We all have dreams as disciples, but do we aspire to be the true disciple or do we just live with the name? It's not all daisies and pretty things, sometimes if not many times we have to break a sweat and work hard for what we believe in. Then our dreams come true. =)
There's a reason why it's called a spiritual battle. It's not just chess. We fight for who we are and we fight for God. Don't just look up to heaven and be inspired. =)
Here's something to encourage you. =)
1 Peter 2:9-10
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not recieved mercy, but now you have recieved mercy."
Let's give it our all for God. =)
Love you dearly,
Sera
Wilfred speaks: "Insights from Matthew 11 - Fashion Sense."
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I believe I've received much in terms of the sharing that's been going around this emailing list so now it's time to give something back. I'd like so share from Matthew 11.
Matthew 11:7-9.
"7As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?
The following introduction is something i gleaned off from my Student's bible; thought I'd give credit where credit is due.
Fashion starts with a single purpose: to turn people's heads. At first the new look is a shock. Many say "Wow!", some say "Ugh!" Whether it's shorts skirts or long, nose rings or ear rings, paisleys or pastels, the new must stand out to gain attention.
John the Baptist was something new, and he certainly stood out from his surroundings. Though he could have been a priest like his father, he exchanged those linen robes for a garment of coarse camel's hair. He took to the wilderness, scavenging grasshoppers and wild honey rather than settling in Jerusalem where he could have savored a portion of the offerings people presented to God.
John's unusual style helped direct attention to his burning message: The Messiah was about to arrive, and people must change their ways. Crowds flocked to hear John, and he baptized them in the Jordan River as a sign of their repentance, thus earning himself the nickname 'the Baptist'
Read Matthew 11:7-11 again and you find Jesus challenging the crowd about what they were looking out for.
Now imagine Jesus challenging the friends that we bring to bibletalks and Church. What have they really come to see?
What are we 'presenting' to them to see?
Jesus pointed out that through John's image and lifestyle people were drawn to him.
Take some time to think about our lifestyles and the image we portray to our colleagues and friends and how we are attracting them to get to know God.
Are our lives attractive spiritually? Is are they just just attractive materially?
When I think about spiritual attractiveness, I think of the Fruits of the Spirit and the Armor of God in Ephesians 6:13-17. I'll be focusing on the latter.
In today's fashion sense, how attractive can a suit of armor be? It's medieval for one, and others would probably think of it as bulky and burdensome but I'm grateful that the Armor of God we're to put on can be considered weightless! As disciples we ought to wear it like our second skin.
The 6 pieces of armor are:
the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Sandals of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Helm of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit which is God's word.
This suit of armor's purpose is two-fold; it protects us from Satan's attacks and also makes us stand out in our schools and workplaces by being attractive.
Matthew 5:14-15
14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Let us strive to set an example and live our lives in such a way that it attracts people to God's Kingdom.
Amen that's all I have for you today.
Love & cheers,
Wilfred
Monday, 18 February 2008
Stefanie speaks: "Jesus Wept."
Stefanie, our dear sister from Indonesia, is currently doing her Masters in Civil Engineering at NUS. She's full of life and also full of child-like wisdom!
Dear brethrens,
Just catching up with u all and wanna share some thoughts about what I read today.
John 11:1-44, about how Jesus raised Lazarus from death.
21"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."
23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
27"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ,[b] the Son of God, who was to come into the world."
28And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you."
29When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.
30Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.
31When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
34"Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
Well, it's the first time Jesus wept over someone, before he wept for Peter for going to deny him. He planned the whole scene, since He delayed His journey to Judea in order to show God's greatness. But even though he planned everything, He was still deeply moved and even wept when He saw the sisters' sadness. I feel that it applies to us, too. When God let us faces challenges and trials, He plans it well and He know through it we can learn and grow and glorify God after we conquer it. Nevertheless, He will also moved when we struggle in those challenges, for He feels what we feel. When we weep for the loved one we lost, when we feel why things happen to us in such a bad situation, when we try to persevere in our struggle Jesus is there.
Isaiah 63:9
In all their distress he (note: God) too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
So, for everyone, who struggle with the yoke God has put to you because He believes you can handle it, Jesus feels what you feel and relate to it. And, just like Lazarus, Jesus will come to save the day (watched Powerpuff Girls too much :P). For men, it may be "too late", but God has His own timing to give the best for you.
Cheers,
Stefanie C.
In a room with her laptop and tons of lecture notes
Jeremy speaks: "Don't worry be Happy."
Jeremy is our brother, full of joy and inspiration. He brings smiles to everyone's faces and glory to God with his excitement for His word.
Was reading Mark 7 - 8 and some other supplementary reading. somehow, i just focused on the man and his dying daughter (or dead towards the end of the chapter).
No matter what your circumstances are, turn your anxiety over to God and let His perfect peace guard your heart
Alfred speaks: "The Rich Young Man."
Alfred is our very cheerful, zealous and fired up brother. He loves children and is always inspiring others with his soft heart towards the word of God.
The Rich Young Man
Mark10:17-22
MK 10:17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
MK 10:18 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: `Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.' "
MK 10:20 "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
MK 10:21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
MK 10:22 At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.’
In this passage, we read about a man who did all the rights things and Jesus pointed out the sin in his heart that he didn’t know was there. Perhaps we can learn from his experience.
Jesus was quoted 6 out of the Ten Commandments. They are:
1) Do not commit adultery.
2) Do not murder.
3) Do not steal.
4) Do not bear false witness — don’t lie.
5) Do not defraud.
6) Honor your father and your mother.
I was brought up by my great dad & mum. They have taught me well and they have inculcated the right value in me. I have never steal… never cheat (actually cheated once, but my dad found out and he gave me a good scolding & caning…)… I honor my dad and mum. I never disobey my dad & mum before. (The only time that I disobey is when I make the decision to become Christian). I am a good son and I listen to my parents.
So when Jesus quoted the Ten Commandments, I will probably give the same answer as the rich young man, “All these I have kept since I was a boy.”
When Jesus saw the rich young man, he saw that one major sin that stopped him to inherit eternal life. It is his love for his wealth…
I may have never violated any of the Ten Commandments. However, I do know that there are many other sins that I have fallen into which are not stated in the Ten Commandments.
Galatians5:19-21
GAL 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
MK 10:21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
Jesus did 3 things here. He looked at the young man. He loved him and then he spoke to him. Jesus knows our heart. He understands all our struggles. He knows our strengths and weaknesses. Jesus cares about us and he spoke the truth in love to the young man of how to inherit eternal life.
There were two things that the young man was not able to follow. He was not able to give up his wealth and he didn’t want to take up the cross and follow Jesus.
What are the things that we are not willing to give up for God? What are stopping us to take up the cross and follow Jesus?
Conclusion:
We may be good people but being good people doesn’t mean that we will inherit eternal life. In order to inherit life, 1) We must follow all the commandments in the bible, 2) Give up the things that stop us to be close to God & 3) Carry the cross and follow Jesus.
Saturday, 2 February 2008
Sera speaks: "My little dream of being humble."
Sera is a theatre production student from LaSalle, she never fails to inspire others around her with her deep convictions and carefree expression of God's love. She's blessed with a beautiful singing voice too!
Hi Brothers and Sisters,
How've we all been? I know for me, it's getting a little tougher. Especially with direction in my life. But all's well, I guess. Need prayer that God will show me a clear path and that my eyes would be opened to see that path He has for me.
Was just thinking back when I was still in kid's kingdom, how my aunt Cynthia (some of y'all might know her) would ask me if I wanted to be a christian and I'd always say yes!! And she'd ask why.
My reply would always be, "Because I want to be humble." I had no clue what being humble was all about. haha. Since then, it has been my dream and it inspires me to know that God gave me that vision even when I didn'tunderstand it. But now I do. I'm glad I held onto that child-like dream.
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I'm gonna share something about humility that I've grown to understand and appreciate the difficulty of attaining.
Deuteronomy 8:3
"Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."
Been reading quite a lot on humility on top of the NT readings. Just to give my QT a little more flavour.
This passage really taught me the simplicity of the term, 'we do not live by bread a lone.' I've even sung it in songs so many times. (Man shall not live my bread alone.... But by every word~~)
God gave them just enough to live with so that they would understand the greatness of Him. When I got that insight, I immediately thought about the many great worldly things that we have. They all distract us from God. Being humble is also about living our lives free of distractions, so that we can fully absorb the greatness of God and live by Him.
Proverbs 11:2
"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."
With humility comes wisdom. My two loves that I want to aquire, all in one simple sentence. I feel like, in situations when I've been humble in accepting advice and accepting other's view of me, I'm calmer and I actually make wiser decisions. And at that point I really see myself becoming the woman God wants me to be. Don't ask me how I know... You just do.
I'll leave you guys with that.
Love you all dearly =)
Sera
Friday, 1 February 2008
Alex Theo speaks: "God remembers you."
A big guy with an even bigger heart, Alex is a brother who is very contented and happy. He finds joy in the little encouragements God places in his life.
Hi guys!What a privilege it is to be in the mailing list of the campus! Thank you God for that! It has been very encouraging reading all the sharing so far! Trust me, some of the sharing really did make my day better after a really really long one!
Wow! Its been a long time since I last shared my QT with u all! Been sooooo busy with school work over the past few weeks as I was developing a training seminar for my project. Thank God its over already!
Hmm..... Where do I start? I guess since we're on the NT reading thought I'd share some insights I've gained along the way.
My group, House of Rock, are doing something interesting. We have chosen 2 topics to be discussed on 1st Feb's burreans nite! But before I dwell into that here's something I learnt from Matthew 1.
As we all know, it is the genealogy of Christ! We can go away thinking, its just one mega long family tree! But if you look at it deeper, its actually an encouraging chapter! What I kinda gathered was that God was encouraging us by telling us He never forgets those who have served him. If you look properly, the names mentioned actually dates back as far as Genesis 16 or 17, this being Abram then but later known as Abraham! And it goes chronologically all the way till Christ's birth! I think any day if ya feel down, think bout how God DOES remember you as we are all His precious children, more precious than gems or treasures measurable!
The 2 topics my group are looking into are:
1. The Power of the Resurrection
2. The Importance of Hope
I'll share bout it a little further in my next mail out. In the mean time I hope u guys n gals will be encouraged by that short verse and sharing.
Love you all!
@ _ 3 X
Alfred speaks: "The Parable of the Two sons. (Matthew 21 : 28 - 31)
Alfred is our very cheerful, zealous and fired up brother. He loves children and is always inspiring others with his soft heart towards the word of God.
Hi Campus,MT 21:28 "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, `Son, go and work today in the vineyard.'
MT 21:29 " `I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
MT 21:30 "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, `I will, sir,' but he did not go.
MT 21:31 "Which of the two did what his father wanted?"
"The first," they answered.
1) God desire a repentant heart.
In this passage, Jesus wants us to imitate the repentant heart of the first son. In the past when I did my QT on this passage, I misinterpreted it wrongly. I read it and thought that if I don’t fulfilled the promises that I ought to do, God will displease me. I felt very down when I missed my QT or fall into sin and I thought that I was like the second son who was not able to keep promises. However, after reading this passage again, I realize that Jesus didn’t say that he disliked the second son. Rather, he said that God desire the repentant heart of the first son. In the passage, God is not focusing on the unfulfilling promises, but rather focusing on the repentant heart.
2) What I need to repent on?
I will like to thank brothers and sisters in for all of your inputs. They have helped me to be a better brother, a better leader and a better son for my family. I am happy that I am now 7 years as a disciple. Without the Campus brothers and sisters helped, I won’t be able to grow much in my leadership, maturity and sensitivity. I am grateful to be in Campus. However, definitely there are many areas that I can grow in. They are…
3) Discipline with my time
In this semester, God has blessed me with a good timetable. I have many breaks in between lessons and I actually have lots of time to do the things that I always wanted to do. When I looked backed for the past few weeks, I can’t remember what I did with my time. I realized that I am far from the goals that I have set myself. I have goals like spending more time studying bible with people and spending more time reading Christianity books to build my knowledge of the bible and also prepare myself for biathlon. I pray that I can be more discipline with my time and to archive the goals that I have set myself.
4) Be a man of Courage
I pray that I can be bold in my area of evangelism and constantly share my faith in NTU.
Love you deeply,
Alfred
Tuesday, 29 January 2008
Bernard speaks: "The Poor Widow"
Dear Bros and Sisters,
I am really glad that we are having this church wide simultaneous bible study. Knowing that there are other disciples who are reading at the same pace as I am encourages me to do my quiet time everyday.
Just want to share an insight about the poor widow who put in two small copper coins in the temple treasury.
The Widow's Offering
As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
(Luke 20: 1-4)
Before, everytime I read this passage I always imagined that Jesus wants me to give more monetary contributions to the Church. But after being a Christian in our Church and being inspired at how insightful other Christians are when they read the Bible, I realize that there is more to this story than Jesus wanting more out of our pockets.
Certainly God appreciates a giving heart that does not hold back. To Jesus, the poor widow who gave her everything has definitely given more than the rich people who only gave part of what they can truly offer. To delve a bit deeper, I asked myself what does it mean to be a widow in those days?
In 1 Timothy 5:5 Paul says "The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help." For someone to pray night and day to ask God for help sounds pretty desperate to me. And Luke says that the woman who gave the only money she had is a poor widow- being a woman in those days she probably had no work, maybe no relatives to look after her, could possibly resign herself to begging in the streets, and most definitely had no resources or property. And yet she gave all that she had and did not hold back.
Luke 21:1-4 however does not denounce the rich people who gave what what is due of them. But it certainly gives a contrast between a person who gives more than what is expected (the poor widow) and those who just gives what is required of them (rich people). This passage encourages me to give more than what is required of me. Not just monetary but in every endeavour I do for the Lord. Like by serving Him, instead of just doing what is expected of me, I should cheerfully do more by giving my time and putting in more effort. In Jesus' standards, it is simply not enough that we just fulfill our responsibilities, but we should make it a point to bring things higher and do more for the Lord.
In Church I see alot of Christians doing this. Those who use their precious time and energy to give more to God. There are the leaders, the choir singers, the ushers, those who prepare communion every Sunday morning, the disciples at Kid's Kingdom, etc. These are people who go the extra mile to serve our one true Master and Lord and Father. And I am confident that Jesus Christ is very pleased by the acts of sacrifice these people make.
God bless you all!
Love,
Bernz
Marilyn speaks: "It's not the man"
Amen, Jer! Your email sharings are not just encouraging, but very insightful as well. Also you write in a conversational way which warms my heart, it's like i can imagine you talking to all of us in a bibletalk setting or morning devo. :)
Just some background info about the 12 apostles that Jesus had picked out... have you ever wondered why twelve? Why not eight? Or twenty? Like what Jer shared, why not every single person in the crowd then?
The number twelve is filled with symbolic importance. There were twelve tribes in Israel. And the religion of Judaism of Jesus' time represented a corruption of faith of the Old Testament. Israel had abandoned God's grace in favor of 'doing good works'. Their religion was legalistic, filled with hypocrisy, self-righteous works, man-made regulations and meaningless rituals. Therefore, in choosing 12 apostles, God was in fact appointing new leadership for the new covenant, judgement against the 12 tribes of Old Testament Israel.
None of the 12 apostles Jesus chose were from any religious background. They were common men, fishermen, tax-collecters etc. They were like us. In this world, there are no intrinsically qualified people. God Himself must save sinners, sanctify them, and then transform them from the unqualified into instruments He can use. Just like the 12 disciples...because of them, 2000 years later, millions of people know God! Sometimes, Satan will attempt to convince us that our weaknesses render us useless to God and His church. But God chooses the humble, the lowly and the weak so that there's never any question about the source of power when their lives change the world.
It's not the man, it's the power of God in the man.
Dear lambs, let's be cranking the ministry and save at least 2 men and 2 women this semester :)
Jeremy speaks, "Heart of an intercessor."
Jeremy is our brother, full of joy and inspiration. He brings smiles to everyone's faces and glory to God with his excitement for His word.
Hi campus,it's really nice to see emails flying here and there. :)
anywayz today wanna share something after reading from mark 1-2 and Eze 22:30
As i was reading mark 1-2, i notice something. well, Jesus was preaching the gospel to the people and i noticed that a large
crowd followed Him.
Hmmm.. now... why did they follow Jesus? there maybe many reasons, they could probably be
- curious
- since they were there, might as well follow and listen and see if Jesus was really as great as what others proclaim Him
to be
- really believed that He is the Son of God
and the list goes on.
well, i was wondering, why is it that Jesus did not appoint all these people as apostles, imagine there wil be thousands of people.
Spreading the word can never be easier right?
But...
Maybe Jesus saw through them and knew that though there were numbers right before His eyes, but none was ready.
Eze 22:30 - "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on the behalf of the land
so i would not have to destroy it, but i found none."
Perhaps, Jesus was finding someone with the Heart of an Intercessor.
An intercessor is defined as a link between 2 parties. God will look into our heart and choose us. We may not volunteer to be
an intercessor, God will choose us. He will enlist us into His army of intercessor. As a disciple, being called by Him to the kingdom,
we ought to intercede for the lost.
Thinking back, before we got baptised, many pray for us, interceding for us, willing to stand between God and man.
so we should pass it on, right?
So how to intercede? well, i am no expert but the following are my personal opinion:-
- (in conjunction to today's devotional) we evangelise, but we must be sure what is our intention. we should evangelise with love and plant the seed of faith,
God will sprout it, well, we interceded by planting/sowing the seed, making the 1st move.
- We pray, but we stripped away all our status and all earthly authority before Him. Humbly asking for the salvation of
people ard us. Have faith and believe.
- We intercede, because we want to imitate God, imitate His love.
Lastly, "if we truly have God's love within us, we will feel compelled to plead with God on behalf of those who face His imminent judgement"
(taken from Experiencing God Day-by-Day by Henry T.Blackaby & Richard Blackaby)
Happy reading. Yawnzzz gonna sleep. lolx.
Take Care
Love
Jeremy
Victoria speaks, "Healing fo the deaf and mute man."
Victoria, a fresh psychology grad from NUS, is a full-time teacher in a secondary school. She enjoys cooking and that makes many of us in Campus very happy indeed!
Actually,
I think it's not exactly strange that Jesus brought the man away from the crowd. Jesus did that again in Mark 8. He's not someone who wanted to incite the crowd into excited frenzy due to his miracles. He wants people to listen but so the miracles are more to show that he's the Son of God rather than a publicity hype. I am not sure about his actions part but I read somewhere that Jesus might have put his fingers into the man's ears to demonstrate how he wanted people to listen as one of Jesus's greatest challenge was to get the people to listen to the right message.
(Quite similar to what we see now as well: Are we listening to the right message? Are we responding to the call of the Bible or to the call of the world?)
I do am curious about why Jesus used spit though. It's something rather rare. Is it some property of spit? Or is Jesus trying to say something as well?
Hmmm... anyone?
Wei Lin from the East speaks, "Thoughts on God's divine nature -- perfectly just, loving unconditionally."
Dear all bros & sis,
Coincidentally, my bible talk berean group was also doing a study on Matt 20. So, tot of sharing our insights with you all. We did our discussion based on the theme, Jesus as the servant.
Let's grow deeper in our love for god and his words this year as we embark on our journey of NT readings. :)
love,
weilin
Matthew 20: 1-16 – Parable of the vineyard workers
God is humble to invite outsiders to His kingdom. God is in fact doing the workers a favour by employing them; as the workers are all idling. Even though it is a losing business for the vineyard owner, he accepts all the idle workers; jus like how god accepts us through grace.
God is generous to give every sinner equal amount of grace and is impartial by not showing favouritism to anyone who enters His kingdom earlier than the rest.
Do our best to serve even though every follower will still receive the same reward from God himself at the end of the day.
The workers who started work earlier; they complained when they only received a denarius; the same amount as the workers who started work later. They feel that they deserved more than a denarius since they put in more hours of work. The workers who complained had a worldly mindset about servant hood. They forgot that it was the vineyard owner who first gave them a job when they were idling.
Do we have a worldly mindset about servant hood? Do we look at other Christians and compare how much we serve and how much we gained?
We need to remind ourselves that we serve because god chose us and gave us salvation first even before we started doing anything for him.
Matthew 20: 24-28 – Being a slave for god
As slaves, when we have victories, the credit is to the master. Sometimes, in the world when we have victories, we claim the credit for ourselves and we built on our reputation in the world. Serve with an attitude without claiming any credit and recognition.
As slaves, we do not have anything, there are no possessions owned by the slaves. They are fully under the control of the master; and submit to the master in obedience. Be grateful to God as a Master who is still willing to provide my needs even when I am His slave.
We are either slaves to sins or slaves to God. Make a stand to choose to be God’s slave to righteousness, letting Him take total control of my life.
Are we being slaves to God or other things in our lives?
Andrew speaks: "Men and Women of Teachable Hearts."
Dear bro and sisters,
I'm convicted by the fact that God wants us to share our learnings in order that we may grow as a body in Christ. God wants us to be the light of the world. He doesn't put the light in us so that we may hide under a bowl or our bed. Hence let us lead a radiant life as a disciple, glorifying Him in every single way possible.
Recently i've attended a seminar on asking good questions. A good question sounds like this:
1)Is most of our convictions from God? If they are from God, did we get them just from the bible?
2)Is our God-based convictions always applicable in every situation?
As i read Mark 2:23-28 i saw how strongly the Pharisees held on to their 'convictions'. They were a devout sect of Jews that abides the Mosaic Law whole-heartedly and in its entirety. What started out to be God-fearing 'convictions' drifted over time, diluted as it passes down from generation to generation.
Sometimes i find myself so used to doing things in a certain way that i no longer question what are my motivations are. I just do them in a mechanical fashion without much thinking. Do we review and reflect our convictions when other disciples gave us input or do we simply brush them aside because our convictions became the 'untouchables' in our lives. Be mindful that not all convictions are not necessary from God. There are good convictions and not so good convictions and there are cut-and-paste convictions used in a unsuitable situation because the circumstances are different.
Jesus asked the Pharisees in Mark 3:4 whether it is lawful to save a life or to do evil on sabbath. The Pharisees could not answer because clear cut black and white area became a 'grey' area for them. Jesus got angry with them because of their stubborn hearts that refuses to unlearn and re-learn the correct convictions. He was hurt because he saw how much man's heart has drifted from fervor and zeal to indifference.
Some points to ponder:
1)Do i have any not-so-good convictions that i'm not humble to unlearn and re-learn?
2)Have i tried to look at the circumstances before doing a cut-and-paste of other's convictions in my situation?
3)Do i share with people my convictions or the values/reasons behind those convictions?
Three things i've learnt: Question my motivations, Validate the situation, Re-learn the convictions
If we do these, we'll be able to have that teachable heart to allow us to respond humbly whenever we stand corrected by God's Word or by his people.
Love ya all
andrew
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